Forgiveness - The Journey Ahead
by LeGirlGamerHere
Summary: SEQUEL - 20 years have passed, and Mel's finally settled in with Joel. They've made up and they're living life the way they should; by being smugglers, up until Ellie appears into their lives. Now they've got to head for the Capitol Building with Tess to deliver her to the Fireflies; seems simple enough. Up until things take a dark turn for the worst.. SLOW UPDATES.
1. Banter

Sup, mothafuckas!? Why hullo there. Did you miss me? ;P More importantly, did you guys miss Mel? Is everyone having a great Christmas? (I don't even celebrate Christmas but, meh..) Hello and welcome back to _Forgiveness_, readers! This is the sequel to my previous fanfic, _Forgiveness_. This is around the point when the game starts. (A very pleasant swearing filled Christmas gift for all! xD)

I still feel really guilty about 'conning' you guys into reading my last fanfic.. I originally wanted to do it when the game starts, but that would make my fanfic too long! So I thought to myself: "What would I be able to do to make it up to my readers? Make ANOTHER fanfic, that's what!"

BTW. If you're new to this series (did I seriously just say that? Dear Lord, what have I become? xD), I highly suggest you have a read of my first fanfic before starting this so that you know the characters I'm talking about. (Particularly Melanie and Logan) P.S. I don't drink, never have, and I don't plan to. Just saying.

Me no own **The Last of Us**. Property of **Naughty Dog**.

Okay? Okay.

(#sorry not sorry #I hate **TFIOS** #the quotes are so fucking quotable though)

Alrighty then.. Hope you guys like it! Enjoy! ;)

* * *

**10 years later..**

Pencil to paper. Lines connecting to one another to make a drawing. A doodle. A sketch. A scribble. That's what I've been doing to preoccupy myself – either re-reading the same fucking book every month, or drawing something that's been bugging me for a while. Stray pencils and paper are always the way to go, for me, at least.

Logan's face comes to mind a lot these days, so drawing him helps to get it out of the way. His mahogany brown hair, his cloudy gray eyes; I miss everything about him, really. I wonder if he ever did make it to Jackson. I'll never know since he fucking abandoned me, but I shouldn't be complaining. He left me with Dad; he's gotten a lot better. He talks a lot more now compared to when I was 17.

I continue to sketch the base of what I remember of Logan's face for another minute or two when I hear a banging on the door. I raise my head in wonder and turn around look at the door for a few seconds, hesitantly wondering about whether or not I should answer the door. The banging on the door continues and doesn't plan on stopping any time soon. I shift in the steel seat and try to get the blood in my - now stiff - gluteus maximus to start flowing again; how long have I been sitting here? An hour or two, maybe?

I hear Dad's footsteps behind me. I turn around and look towards the doorway as Dad's stocky figure emerges from the shadows of his dim room, his hand tiredly resting on the doorframe as he exits the room. "I'm coming," he calls out towards the door. I put my head down and pretend to sleep just before he almost reaches the door. Dad turns towards me, "Why didn't you answer the door?" he asks me tiredly. I shrug my shoulders and reply flatly with my best poker face, "You needed to wake up." Dad snorts and opens the door.

Tess strolls right in with a fierce look in her eyes. I stretch out my arms across the kitchen counter and blow out a breath of air, shaking my head a little in the process. I've learnt from experience; if she has that look in her eyes, do _not_ mess with her. "How was your morning?" The haughty tone in her voice is evident, more than usually, really.

"It was good until you showed up, thanks." I mutter quietly.

Tess shoots me a glare as she as she approaches the small coffee on the far side of the room. "I heard that."

"Shit."

She starts pouring herself a Scotch as Dad closes the door. "Want one?" Tess offers, raising the glass at both of us. I briefly shake my head at her. I don't drink; it's as simple as that. I've only tasted alcohol once, and that was in beer. It tastes like piss and it's fucking disgusting. I guess it's an acquired taste.

"No, I don't want one." Dad replies gruffly.

Tess finishes pouring the Scotch and leans against the table at the other end of the room. "Well, I have some interesting news for you."

I notice the deep crimson colored marks on Tess' cheekbones, so I proceed to grab the clean rag just next to the water bottles. "Where were you, Tess?" Dad asks her gruffly, a hint of concern in his voice. I toss him the rag so that I can continue drawing.

"West End district. Hey, we had a drop to make." Tess takes a long satisfying sip from her glass of Scotch.

Dad walks over to her, a frustrated tone in his voice. "WE. _WE_ had a drop to make." It's adorable seeing Dad worry about Tess. My OTP. My canon ship, sailing all the way to the fucking moon. Dad and Tess _were_ in a relationship at one point, anyways. _Not that I'm complaining or anything.._

"Yeah, well, you wanted to be left alone, remember? Besides, Mel here wanted to take care of you." That's a completely valid reason, especially because of Dad's mood swings every now and then. I notice Tess shoot him a look as Dad hands her the rag.

Dad ignores Tess' point about me and continues, his voice's volume slowly rising, "So I'll take one guess, the whole deal went south and the client made off with our pills, is that about right?"

Tess chuckles and replies, "Deal went off without a hitch. Enough ration cards to last us a couple of months - easy." Tess takes the cards out of her back pocket and tosses them on the table.

Dad leans against the counter, his back facing towards me, as he asks Tess, pointedly, "Do you want to explain this?" Dad gestures at his own face, asking Tess for an explanation about hers.

She starts to dab her cheekbones with the rag to clean up the dried up blood from the cuts on her face. Tess answers him, straight to the point and matter-of-factly. "I was on my way back here and I got jumped by these two assholes, alright?" Dad pushes his hands off of the counter, almost angry at Tess for going to the drop-off on her own. "Yeah, they got a few good hits in, but.. Look, I managed."

"Give me that." Dad takes the rag out of her hand, takes her by the chin and starts cleaning the cuts on Tess' face for her. If I was still an immature teenager, I would've squealed and fangirled with all my might, talking about how canon and bound to be their ship is. But, because I am a mature 34 year old woman, I simply smile to myself because of how happy I am for them. "These assholes still with us?" Dad asks her, trying to cheer her up.

He manages to get a snort out of her as well as a smile. "That's funny."

"Did you at least find out who they were..?"

"Yeah, look. They were a couple of nobodies. They don't matter. What matters is that Robert fucking sent them."

My eyes widen in surprise, so I ask her, enunciating my words, "_Our_ Robert?" Robert. He's a tough nut to crack. I'm honestly not even sure how I'm supposed to describe that sneaky bastard.

Tess gives me a crude smile, "He _knows_ we're after him. He figures he's gonna get us first." Damn. He's almost like a snake. Sly, cunning, and evasive. More like he _is _a snake, really.

"Son of a bitch, he's smart." Dad tosses the rag towards my direction; I immediately tug my sketchbook back to make sure Tess' blood doesn't end up on my drawing paper.

"Tess, Dad's right, you know-" I say, trying to calm her down. She's getting hyped, a little too hyped for her own good.

"No." I raise an eyebrow at her as she continues. "He's not smart enough." Tess leans towards us, a smug grin glued to her face. She continues in a whisper, "I know where he's hiding."

Dad and I are both in disbelief. "Yeah, sure. And, I'm totally still counted as young." The sarcasm in my voice drips all the way to the hollow floorboards below us. Dad expresses his surprise with the typical Southern answer, "Like hell you do."

Tess finishes her Scotch and leaves the glass on the table. Slowly, she struts towards the room's exit. "Old warehouse in Area 5. Can't say for how long, though." Is she.. _provoking_ Dad?

"Oh, I'm ready now, yeah?" Dad asks Tess as he opens the door for her.

"Oh, I can do now."

Anyone would just naturally assume that they're gonna ditch me to go have sex someplace else.

"Well?" Tess asks me as she turns around.

"Well, what?"

"You coming or not?" Dad asks me, on her behalf.

"To get Robert?"

Both of them give each other a look, as if on signal, both of them reply at the same time, "YEAH."

"Oh." Banter. Fucking playful banter. That's what it all was.

"Why the hell not?" I hop off the steel chair I was seated on and stuff my pencil into my back pocket with my eraser. I pick up my A4 sized sketch book and tuck it underneath my arm, before joining Dad and Tess.

* * *

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. (Sorry, I just had to xD) That's chapter one, people! I'll try to update a chapter a week now that we're in Christmas break at the moment!

What are your thoughts on this story so far? Was it rushed? Was it satisfying? Was it annoying to see that Mel is currently somewhat a third wheel in Joel and Tess' already badass duo? Review below, let me know! I love reading what you guys have to say, so please do send me a review or a PM!

*singsong opera voice* DFTSA! :D Have an amazing day, everybody!

LGGH OUT! ;P


	2. The Smuggler's Kid

Why hullo there, friends! Happy New Year! 2015 already! Holy moly.. How was your Christmas break? Can you believe this? The teachers in my school assigned us HW over the break, like.. Seriously? Will you not let us have any fun during the holidays?

Anywhore! It's Chapter 2! Ohmergherd. Yes, I've used up time in my holidays just for you, readers, because 1) I love writing, and I write "to disappear".. -_Cath_, _Fangirl_ 2) Because I love you guys for the love and support you guys give me to write ;)

I tried to, at least. Oh whale. My motivation is currently at an all-time low and I can't seem to be.. well, bothered to write. I'm gonna need to watch more TLOU related stuff to get writing again.

Chapter 2. YAY. Okay, let's get going!

And as always, enjoy! :D

* * *

I roll up the sleeves of my plain blue shirt and leave it unbuttoned to reveal my gray T-shirt underneath. Blue. I love that word. It is the shit.

I shut the door behind me as I follow Dad and Tess out of our quiet alley towards Boston's main gates. Area 5 is located at Boston's main port, where all the ships and tankers are. Imports from other countries are still being sent our way, but I don't know much about _what's _even being imported and exported.

The fact that we've based ourselves by Boston's official garbage area is somewhat depressing. Dad claims it's for privacy and so that the government won't try to sniff out what we're up to, but I guess it's working judging by the lack of inspections at our.. 'main office'.

Tess takes out a bundle of keys from her pocket and unlocks the safety gate while I eavesdrop on a conversation going on behind me. Something about Jane being sent out for outside work duty from what I can hear. Tess continues to lead us on even when we reach the open streets. I take the rear as Dad is sandwiched in between Tess and I, we all give each other a wide berth so that we don't end up walking into each other.

Looking around, I take in how much Boston's changed compared to when I first came with Anna and Logan. Various torn up patchy rags hang from the balconies above the closed up shops surrounding us. We have official "Distribution Centers" – fucking bullshit, if you ask me. Majority of the time, we end up with half-rations anyways, so we always know to expect that we'll be going to sleep on almost empty stomachs each night.

Old air conditioner units left stains on the buildings that they're on. Graffiti is definitely something that I appreciate around here, even though I'm not with the Fireflies anymore, it brings me satisfaction seeing that they're still fighting and that they won't surrender until the USA changes its branch of government.

Large imprints of the Firefly logo are spray painted in various areas, plastering a hint of a smirk on my face. An especially large white one is spray painted over the Curfew Hours signboard above the FEDRA banner on my left, causing me to let out a snort of satisfaction.

The monotone woman that's working for FEDRA on the announcement speakers around Boston starts talking, causing my head to droop a little bit, "Attention. Citizens are required to carry a-"

'_-current ID at all times.' _I cut in. _'Compliance with all city personnel is mandatory, yada yada, cut the bullshit already.._' I think to myself.

"Damn.." I cuss aloud as I look at the Ration Station that Tess is standing by, empty and surrounded by yellow tape. "Look at that. Ration line hasn't opened yet, must be running low again.." Tess tells us dryly. Dad walks on as Tess stays behind for a second or two, clutching onto her left arm, a sudden shiver running down her arm.

Like I said plenty of times before, Marlene's pretty much a celebrity around here, so if anyone was to come across a poster with her face on it, there'd be at least 11 others just like it right next to each other. In fact, I think I saw Dad walking past a whole wall dedicated to JUST Marlene on his right a little while ago.

I pass by Amanda Harley talking to the soldier guarding the ration line; her voice is strained with hunger along with a hint of desperation clinging to it. "Hey, how much longer?"

"Lady, when the rations arrive, we'll open the door, alright?" I shake my head in disgust and make sure to glare at the soldier guarding it. They're treating us like we're fucking animals meant to be kept in a cage. I ball up my fists and keep walking to resist the urge of attacking the guard. I squeeze my eyes shut as I continue walking behind Dad, forcing myself to look down on the ground. I start counting the number of cracks there are in the sidewalk as well as how many blades of grass there are sticking out from behind a wall to my right.

As soon as I calm down, I continue to follow from behind Dad. He's caught up with Tess already, so he walks beside her instead of behind. Sure, for the standards of society before the world went to shit, the roads are considered empty, but it's pretty packed today..

"I hear it's another half ration week."

"Are you fucking kidding me? That's three weeks in a row now." See?

We walk past several roadblocks to our left; I stay behind to see what the fuss is about as Dad and Tess walk on. Two men biohazard uniforms are currently scanning four people in the center of the surrounding roadblocks, confirming whether they're clean or infected, at least 6 soldiers guarding it, not wanting anyone to see, good luck with _that. _A nearby army truck causes me to raise an eyebrow or two in curiosity, making me want to get closer and have a better look at the situation at hand.

One of them struggles and tries to run, but gets shot by one of the guards. I lean to the side a bit more to get a closer look when my left arm feels the impact of the butt of a gun. The soldier closest to me gives me a look of authority, trying to look more superior to me. "Hey. Nothing for you to see, this isn't the fucking cinema."

"Go fuck yourself." I hiss at him in reply, making sure that he didn't get to look at my face long enough for him to identify me. I jog away to catch up with Tess and Dad. "Seems like more people getting' infected." Tess says to us in a matter-of-fact tone.

Dad shakes his head at her before answering, "That just means more people are sneakin' out." Tess walks ahead when Dad grabs my right arm, and pulls me down, making me look around hastily, "What the hell do you think you're doing? They could arrest you for that!" Dad hisses at me.

I pull my arm away and glare at him, "I can take care of myself, thanks. I'm not a baby anymore." I snap at him in reply.

We continue walking until we get to an open street, the pungent odor from the sewers seeping into my lungs, earning a grimace from me. To top the smell off, the weather's shitty today, _YAY. _Cloudy, gray, stormy days are ahead of us. I wouldn't be surprised if it rains tonight, honestly.

Security's become a top priority for FEDRA because of the Fireflies, so the simple gate that Anna and I walked through is now a fully fortified fortress-like structure. A guard tower's raised up high smack dab in the middle of the fortress-like gates, an old but still in good condition USA flag swaying lazily in the wind. I can see at least 3 army trucks from where I'm standing, don't even get me started with the number of soldiers here. They're fucking everywhere, even the ones in biohazard suits.

Thing is, the walls surrounding the city make the gates look miniscule in comparison. Huge plates of steel at least 100 feet tall drilled together surrounding us, keeping out the dangers of the outside and locking _us_ in. This would make one unnerved in normal circumstances, but they've become the norm for us, to be completely honest. Bright side is, we don't have to worry about the risk of the downtown buildings collapsing on us. Downside, the view just isn't the same anymore.

A conversation on my far left makes me jerk my head right around, making me eavesdrop. "She's feisty that one."

"How so?" I recognize this voice as Abdul's, a guy who's slightly younger than me from Sudan.

"That Miller girl likes causing trouble, that little- Can I help you? Mind your own fucking business. You have nothing to do with us." I naturally assume that he's talking to me, so I turn to face him immediately, seeing Dad squaring off with him instead. Abdul immediately stands in front of the other man, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry 'bout that, Joel. He's just a little cranky today is all." As soon as I see Dad walking towards me, I hear hasty whispers from their direction.

"Are you fucking crazy!? Don't talk to him like that!"

"It's not like I fucking care."

"Well, you should. You were just talking bad of his kid! And she's standing right there, you fucking idiot! You don't know what happens to the people who stand in his way, do you? He'll beat you to death next time you say shit like that near him!"

I ignore them and go along with Dad. All they see me as is "The Smuggler's Kid", meaning if anyone says or does anything to me, they'll have to answer to Dad. That's what I find the most embarrassing in this situation. I'm like, 34, and Dad still treats me like I'm a baby. Oh well.. It's better than nothing, I guess.

* * *

I'm really sorry for how short this chapter is and how slow the story's been progressing, but like the last sentence in this chapter says, it's better than nothing.

My motivation is only just returning now. I've grown a strong dislike towards The Last of Us in the time that I've been gone. With my Dad playing it thousands of times, it gets stuck in my head, and it's annoying. So please don't hate me if the next update is a long while from now.

In the meantime, I guess I'll try to swim in an endless ocean known as high school.

Bye guys. See you next chapter. Have a great day! :)


	3. Into the Dark

Hi again, peeps. So.. yeah. Chapter 3. xD I apologize for the long waits, but that's just how I roll these days. I like to take my time when it comes to writing, and that, therefore, ensures that the quality of my work is superb. I sound too poetic. GOD DAMN IT!

Plus there's school. _YAY_. I'm nearly failing one of my classes, so I really need to get my shit together.. Thank God, I can drop it next year when I take IB..

Let's get this show on the road then, you cheeky bastards. Oh, and BTW, Ulysses is probably a common Mexican name, but I only remember it after reading _Monument 14_, I get mad every time I talk about this series. Nobody knows it, and it's super frustrating for me.

As always, enjoy! ;)

* * *

Mass puddles from last week's rain are scattered everywhere, the smell of filthy water hanging in the air adds to the sewage's stench, making me scrunch up my nose in disgust.

"Just play it cool," Tess tells us calmly before we make our way to the gates leading to Checkpoint South 5 with our fake ID's in hand. As we get closer to the gate, I can see how many are guarding the door itself; at least 5-6 men surround us, assault rifles locked and loaded in their grasp.

I maintain a poker face as I stand beside Tess to her right, Dad on her other side; we give Dad our ID's as we exchange looks with each other. The thing about the soldiers of USAF is that half the time they don't remember your names or what you look like either because of the number of people they see, meaning if we _do _get in any trouble with them, they'll have no proof because of our fake ID's.

I recognize the soldier in front of us as Jeff, one of the 2 soldiers that Logan spoke to just before Mark's death. The gear FEDRA's provided their soldier's is ridiculously advanced, making them quite well protected. The standard uniform of a ballistic vest over their navy blue button ups, as well as ballistic helmets to go with them is intriguing to look at to say the least, but I think they're meant to look intimidating. I just see them as kids in costumes who happen to have legal access to firearms and immense power over civilians.

"Let me see your ID's." A bored and tired tone in his voice seeps into the air, almost as if he's trying to tell us that we aren't worth his time, tempting me to challenge him with a look of clear and utter annoyance. "There you go." Dad says to him plainly as he gives him our false ID's.

He looks at us one by one, before asking Dad, "What's your business here?"

"Got the day off. Visiting a friend." I hold my breath and pray he doesn't notice.

He takes one last look at the ID's before handing them to Dad. "Alright, move on through."

"Thanks."

Dad walks ahead of us, Tess sandwiched in between Dad and I, when deafening occurs on one of the army trucks leaving the QZ, less than 10 meters away from us. We immediately duck down and look away from the flames. The smell of gasoline and smoke reaches me; I immediately shut my eyes and hold my breath. Some of the debris flies towards us in flames. My ears are ringing because of how near the explosion was, making me shake my head a little to try and stop it.

FEDRA always has their ways of covering shit up. Something like this can't just be wrapped up in a blanket and be pretended with. I'm pretty sure everyone saw it, if not, at least heard it.

Jeff drags the gate shut, pushing Dad away. "Oh shit. Get outta here. Go!" He yells to us urgently.

"Close it up!"

"Fireflies!"

"Fuckin' shoot 'em!"

"They're running! Call for backup!"

Shots are fired from all around on both ends, some random, some with precision. We remain crouched down as Tess taps my elbow, "Come on, let's get outta here."

I nod curtly at her in response as she turns around and takes off at a run. Dad and I sprint from behind her to avoid any more bullets being fired from the other side of the gate.

Of all days, the Fireflies decide to fight FEDRA head-on. THAT'S real convenient for us, ain't it? "Goddamn Fireflies." I mumble to myself as we slow down at the building Tess is waiting for us at. The loud monotone voice on the speaker returns, updating us with the current situation. "Attention. Checkpoint 5 is now closed until further notice. All civilians must clear the surrounding area immediately."

Dad closes the door behind us as we enter, I lean against the doorframe trying to catch my breath - my sketchbook still in hand - when I notice Dad's left arm is bleeding. Some of the debris must've had an impact on it.

"Fuck.. so much for the easy route." Tess says to us, her voice clearly annoyed with our current situation. I tap Dad's shoulder and point at his arm, which he brushes me off for. Tess takes out a set of bandages with alcohol applied in advance and hands it to him. "Patch yourself up, alright?"

As Dad wraps the bandage around his bleeding arm, I take a brief look at the inside of the building. The color scheme is dull, much like the other buildings in the city, and the paint is peeling off, leaving patches on the walls. An old dusty smell lingers in the air, making me cough a little.

When Dad finishes, Tess leads the way; this time, I remain in the back as Dad walks between us. Tess' voice echoes in the large building, especially since almost nobody's occupying it anymore. "They're gonna close all the checkpoints." Tess tells us flatly as I let out a groan. "We're gonna have to go around the outside?"

My eyebrows immediately perk up in curiosity. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait. Outside the wall?" I ask her, feigning my interest. Tess turns her head briefly towards me and says, with a smart tone in her voice, "Or we could just let Robert go.."

Dad scoffs and simply says, "Cute." I stifle a smirk, even though both of them have their backs turned to me. God, they need to get hooked up again already!

A dark skinned man in his early thirties approaches us after getting up from his metal stool. His old and faded Ray bans seem to be lacking in its old shine. I immediately recognize him because of his bald head and aviator jacket. Ulysses Gomez, he was in Logan's unit back in the day, he works with us now that he quit. I had a bit of trouble pronouncing his name when I first met him, but now his name pronunciation is as easy as drinking ice cold water on a hot day, not that there are any cold drinks these days. "Tess, you see that shit?" Gomez asks her as he joins us, walking beside her. He lost his Mexican accent long ago, his now American accent remains in his voice. "I was there." Tess replies flatly before continuing, "So, how's the east tunnel looking?"

"It's clear. I just used it. No patrols." He turns his head briefly at us in simple greeting, "Sup, Joel. Mel." Dad gives him a small nod as I give him a small wave, along with, "Yo."

"Where you off to?" Gomez asks Tess as he faces forward once again. "Gonna pay Robert a visit." Tess says matter-of-factly.

He lets out a small laugh before responding. "You too?"

"Who else is looking for him?" Took the words right out of my mouth there, Tess.

"Uh, Marlene." Dafuq? "She's been asking around, trying to find him." I walk a little faster in a steady stride and end up next to Dad, better for me so that I can hear clearer.

"Marlene? What do the Fireflies need with Robert?" I ask him. He shrugs and answers without turning around, "You think she'd tell me?"

"Well, what did you tell her?"

"The truth. I got no idea where he's hiding."

I can practically hear Tess smirking in front of me. "Good man. Hey, you stay out of trouble alright? Military's gonna be out in force soon."

"Yeah – see you around." He gives us a curt nod as he leans against the door on his left. We continue to walk deeper into the building in silence.

Tess breaks the silence by asking, "Marlene lookin' for Robert? What do you make of that?" I remain quiet since I don't want to answer a question I have no answers to. Damn, he's become quite the celebrity.

"I don't like it. We better find him before the Fireflies do."

We finally manage to reach our destination which is at the very far end of the building. The room is a welcome sight for me and my aching legs since I despise walking too much all at once. Despite its tattered state, I still enjoy hanging out in this fairly large room. I know we're only gonna be here for a couple of minutes, but still. "This is us." Tess announces as if welcoming us here for the first time.

The room is practically empty unless you count the two couches, abandoned fireplace, a few misshapen shelves with empty glass bottles on the very top, the old clock and dartboard. Old newspapers and empty alcohol bottles litter the floor. We find Don Abrams sitting on one of the old couches, wearing his faded blue button up shirt, slouching.

"Hey, guys. How's it going?" Don asks us politely.

"Shit's stirring up out there. How we lookin' over here?" Tess replies.

"Ah, it's been quiet. No signs of military or infected."

"That's what I like to hear." Tess says to him at least before going to the left side of the room. A medium sized shelf and a few bottles on top of it cover the way out, not as well as it should, but it's better than nothing. "Joel, gimme a hand with this." Dad obliges and helps her push it aside, a couple of bottles topple over but remain on the shelf.

"Y'all take it easy out there." Don calls out to us before we jump down into the underground.

* * *

I know.. This story is moving along rather sluggishly. But as they say, "Patience is a virtue." That, and I need to get my shit together for school. Oh whale.

Until next time, later! Have a good day! :)

-LGGH


	4. Robert & Queen Firefly

_A/N: Hi again peeps. Yeah. Chapter 4. Oh whale._

_It's totally not been ages since my last update, right?_

_AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.. seriously though, I'm so sorry about that. School caught up and.._

_And then.. Summer.. And.._

_*coughs* Enjoy..? xD_

* * *

We land safely (sweet relief!) on the dirt floor with a thud on the soles of my feet. The smell of our surroundings makes me gag as it hits my face, and I'm quite sure that I'm not the only one that thinks so. "Ack! God! It stinks! They need to watch what the throw away down here.." Tess cries out to us in disgust.

I start breathing through my mouth as I tell her, "Tess, I don't think they _realize_ that there even _is _a here." Dad snorts in reply as he continues to follow Tess and I from behind in order to grab our gear.

I check my 9mm handgun and mutter a curse when I see how empty the barrel is. I'm going to be out of ammo a lot sooner than I thought. I stuff it at the back of my jeans as I make sure that my old pocket knife is in the main pocket of my backpack, sticking it in my own jeans pocket.

**MUCH LATER.**

I lean against an old counter as I wait for the signal to show us that the coast is clear. A boy of about 11 shows up. Tess speaks to him of the ration cards and bribes him with them; she has a way with her words.

"You know he's expecting us," Dad tells her flatly.

Tess looks at him with her arms crossed over her chest, a smug look on her face as she tells him, "Well, that'll make it more interesting."

After a brisk knock on the door as well as the silhouette of the boy who helped us out passes the room's window, we immediately go through the door, our legs swinging with every stride in a quick pace. The amount of men in this particular area of Boston give me the creeps, all of them bearing too long itchy beards and scars etching their middle aged faces.

I make sure that my hand is within reach of my pocket knife every step of the way. Judging by the looks being shot at us in the area, I have a feeling that some of them are a little grabby. Their gazes are hungry and desperate, for what; who knows?

I maintain my cold demeanor and walk straight ahead, following Tess from behind.

**LATER.**

"We just wanna talk, Robert." Tess calls out in a relatively calm manner. I hold back a snort and wait for his response. We've managed to corner the sneaky bastard, taking out his hired guards like they were nothing.

"We've ain't got fucking nothing to talk about!" He yells out in panic.

I cup one hand over my mouth and say, "Put your gun down!"

I flinch when I see the sparks from where the bullet hit the doorframe, but the gun which was in his possession flies towards our direction, along with his reply, "Go fuck yourselves!"

Tess pushes past and tells us hurriedly, "He's running!"

"For _fuck's_ sake, man!" I mumble as I sprint behind Dad and Tess to catch Robert, pushing past doors and obstacles of all sorts.

"Robert!" Dad yells out angrily.

My jaw drops as I continue running when I hear Robert's response, "Screw you, Joel!"

_Bitch, you're gonna die tonight._

We finally find an open window and jump through, and to our, there he is.

The bastard himself tries to escape, attempting to remove the lock that he himself had put up to keep _us_ out. Next thing you know, he end up locking _himself_ in.

Karma's a bitch.

"Hello, Robert," Tess says to him chirpily. I let out a coughing fit when I realize that I can't hold my laughter in any longer.

Robert visibly freezes, turning around slowly with a semi-calm/panicked face. "Joel, Tess." His eyes flit towards me; he raises an eyebrow in recognition. "Have I seen you somewhere before-?"

"_We're_ the ones asking the questions here, jackass. So keep whatever shit you have to say to yourself," I snap in reply.

He rolls his eyes at me, giving Tess what I think is supposed to be a "be-reasonable-you-shitface" smile, telling her, "No hard feelings, right?"

Tess smiles that innocently dangerous smile as she answers, "None at all." One would think you could trust Tess on that, but if you know her long enough, and notice that she's picking up a fucking pipe to pulverize you with it, you'd know not to fuck around with her.

Robert raises his hands in surrender, "Alright…" Silence hangs in the air for a millisecond before he takes off in an attempt to run. I roll my eyes at him when the pipe in Tess's procession hit him square in the knee.

He screams out in pain, "Goddamit!"

I lean against the wall in boredom, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch their interaction before my eyes. "We missed you," Tess says in that sarcastically chirpy tone of hers.

Jesus, I need me some popcorn. One hell of a show, right now..

"Look," Robert croaks out weakly. "Whatever it is you heard, it ain't true, okay? I just wanna say-"

Tess cuts him off, a sickeningly twisted look on her face, "The guns. Wanna tell us where the guns are?"

I suck in a breath of air through my teeth awaiting his response.

Sure enough, he seems hesitant and paranoid, "Yeah, sure, but.. it's complicated, alright?" I keep my mouth shut, but my mind is active. I suddenly remember a really old song by Avril Lavigne called Complicated, so I chuckle when I hear his excuse. The look of horror on his face makes my day, so I continue to watch him try to weasel his way out. "Look, just hear me out on this, I gotta-"

Dad wordlessly walks over to Robert and kicks his face, inevitably shutting him up. "_Fuck_," he croaks out when Dad kneels beside him and takes a firm grip of his right arm, ready to snap it on Tess's orders. I found things like this entertaining, but I never said they _weren't_ gruesome. "Ah! Stop, stop, stop, stop!" Robert calls out in pain, his eyes squinted shut because of it.

Tess walks over to him and says, "Quit your squirmin'," she kneels down beside Dad, hovering over Robert. I breathe out a lazy sigh and walk about a meter forward and watch from that section of the wall. "You were saying?" Tess beckons him to continue.

Robert continues to grunt in pain, but says this piece of crucial information as if it were nothing, "I sold 'em." My heart drops to the pit of my stomach, my eyes widen at his baffling statement. I push against the wall to join Tess and look at him in complete shock.

"You _what_?" I growl at him from where I stand.

Tess holds a hand up to shut me up, working her jaw and continues, "_Excuse_ me?"

"I didn't have much of a choice," he says in one breath. "I owed someone."

"You owed us. I'd say you bet on the wrong horse," Tess snaps at him.

He stumbles on his words, fumbling and bumbling as the blood from his nose continues to trickle onto the floor. "I just need more time, just gimme a week."

"You know," Tess answers in a haughty tone, "I might've done that if you hadn't tried to fucking kill me."

"Come on, it wasn't like that-"

"Stop trying to weasel out of it and answer her, you son of a bitch," I tell him bitterly with gritted teeth. Dad's surprisingly calm about this.

"Who has our guns?" Tess asks him finally.

Silence.

I take it upon myself to get an answer from him, so I grab him by his stupid pony tail and bring him to my face, "Answer the fucking question, you slimy-"

His response is unexpected, catching all three of us off guard. "I can't. Just gimme a couple more-"

I look over at Tess and Dad, impatient looks painting both of their faces. I give Robert a hard punch to the face and it lands with a loud thud on the concrete floor. My knuckles feel tight after the punch so I shake my hand vigorously to rid of the pain. Dad simply snaps Robert's arm, dislocating the joints in his bones. The crack is loud enough for me to hear, so I do my best not to cringe at the sound.

"AUGH! Fucking.." He lets out a high pitched scream as he curls up into a ball, his right arm flailing around uselessly.

Tess repeats the question more forcefully this time, but the reply he gives us is worse than the one before. "It's the Fireflies. I owed the Fireflies." I run a hand through my hair and shut my eyes, counting to 10 in my head, trying to stay calm and not beat the shit out of him right then and there.

I let out a hysterical laugh and stare at him manically. I wasn't sure of whether to laugh or to cry, so I chose the former instead.

And I feel emptier than I've ever felt before.

Robert continues to ramble, until finally, Tess gets up, aims her gun at his head and says, "_That_ is a stupid idea." Two shots are fired, causing Robert's blood to seep into the ground.

I slump against the wall in disbelief, baffled by what had just happened. "That was a fucking waste, wasn't it?" I ask them in an annoyed tone.

Tess and Dad remain quiet, not sure where to go or what to do next. "Well, now what?" Dad asks Tess.

Tess nods her head in confidence, looking over at both of us as she says, "We'll go get our guns back."

I scoff and reply, "Are you fucking kidding me? How the fuck are we supposed to do that, Tess?"

"I don't know," Tess admits, defeated. "We.. explain it to them. So come on, let's go look for a Firefly."

I sigh loudly and jam a hand in my pocket, reaching for a toothpick to chew on. Silent footsteps approach, causing me to jerk my head up; but what catches my attention is the voice that follows after. "You won't have to look very far," the voice tells us.

Her shadow comes closer, making her figure easier for us to see. Her face is all too familiar; I'd spent enough time with her to know her habits, and she happened to enjoy lurking somewhat.

Marlene in the flesh.

"There we go," Dad announces. "Queen Firefly."

* * *

_A/N: EEEEEK! DON'T KILL ME!_

_You guys, I'm really sorry, but I'm super busy with school, so I hope you understand why I won't be updating until further notice. Trust me, I really want to, but I'll probably fail junior year if I get too carried away. I'm can't afford to let that happen to me this year._

_I'm really sorry, guys. I hope you understand._

_Much love xx 33_

_-LGGH AKA Atticus_


	5. Of Lookalikes and Daughters

_A/N: Happy New Year! Shit, 2016 already, huh?_

_Okay, so updates will still be happening, since I feel horrible for announcing a sequel when I knew I wouldn't have that much time to update. ANYWAYS, like I said before, updates will still be happening, but not as frequently as you expect. Probably monthly or bi-monthly updates, I don't know. I'll make time when I can. Thank you to the people who still stuck with me, despite how much of a shitty person I am for leaving you guys out to dry._

_And if you suddenly see a lot of changes in the chapters, I'm doing a lot of editing since I prefer writing in past tense rather than present, so yeah. :P_

_I feel like I've improved a lot in terms of my writing style these past months because of constant practice, but if you ever wanna talk to me or see what I'm up to; drop a PM in my inbox or drop by on my Wattpad profile since I'm a lot more active there (than I ever will be here)! XD_

_Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but as always, enjoy!_

* * *

"Why are you here?" Marlene asked us, casting glances to each of us, one by one.

I chewed on my bottom lip when I looked over at Tess, her response fairly smooth, "Business." Tess shot a glance at Marlene's hand, bloody and pressed against the side of her abdomen. "You aren't looking so hot," she said in an attempt to make things a little less tense.

Marlene scoffed, looking around briefly until she turned towards us again, asking us, "Where's Robert?"

I gave exchanged a quick look with Dad, sucking in air through my teeth as I watched Tess step away from Robert's bludgeoned body, the blood circling his head still pooling towards our feet on the floor. I stepped away briskly because blood was pretty hard to clean on shoes. The way Tess waved her hand at Robert's body was as if he was on display at some sort of exhibition.

Marlene let out a cold and dry laugh, shaking her head in disbelief when she said to us, "I needed him _alive_."

"The guns he gave you," I told her, my arms still crossed over my chest as I leaned against the brick wall behind me, "they weren't his to sell. We want 'em back, Marlene."

Marlene shook her head at, still remaining stationary, "Doesn't work like that, Mel."

"The hell it doesn't," I hissed at her, waiting for an answer that wasn't evading what I'd told her.

"First off, I paid for those guns. If you want 'em back, you're gonna have to earn 'em." Marlene snapped, taking careful steps towards us. She directed her response more towards _me_ this time. "Second, I don't remember you being so civil to me the last time we spoke. Did Tess and Joel here put you on a dog leash or something? You still seem pretty salty about what I did to-"

"Yes, I'm still fucking salty about what you did to her." I hissed at Marlene angrily, my mind drifting to the day she gave Ellie up for foster care. "Anna would _never_ forgive you for-"

"Enough," Tess snapped at us, but her gaze lingered on me for longer. "Whatever she did to you in the past, you'll have to let go of for now, Mel." Tess turned to look at Marlene, and continued talking, hesitation lacing her words, "How many cards are we talking about?"

Marlene snorted at Tess, shaking her head when she answered, "I don't give a damn about ration cards." The expression on her face hardened, "I need something smuggled out of the city." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that, Marlene was one of the most notorious of Fireflies in Boston, Lord knows how much her head would be worth if I shot her here and now. "You do that – I'll give you your guns back, and then some."

"How do we know you got 'em?" Dad asked her, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped towards her. "Way I hear it, the military's been wipin' you guys out." The light the Fireflies once promised us was dimming significantly these past few years, considering I was an ex-Firefly myself. I watched on the sidelines as they began to crumble and collapse. Without the yellow uniform, I was simply another 'weak civilian in need of saving'. Fuck _that_ shit. My gaze burned through her, awaiting her reply.

"You're right about that." Marlene gave us a sad smile, mainly to show us how vulnerable she was at the moment. "I'll show you the weapons."

"Search the area," a communicator not too far from where we were announced.

I looked at Tess, cursing, "What the hell do we do?"

Marlene backed up a few steps, knowing we had only two options: A) Follow Marlene to where the guns were and B) Take off and leave Marlene for dead without the guns. "What's it gonna be?" Marlene asked us, pressuring us to make a move before the soldiers got to us.

I sighed in frustration, looking towards Dad and Tess for their opinions.

"We better see those guns."

* * *

"Whoa.." I said as we stood on the roof, looking towards the source of the explosion coming from a couple miles away, "The Fireflies.."

Tess looked over at Marlene, her eyebrows scrunched up as she asked, "Are those your people?"

Marlene scoffed, her breathing becoming heavier as she held on to her abdomen. "What's left of them."

* * *

Once we'd gotten past the soldiers in the area, we'd reached a kitchen of sorts, the shelves barren other than the filthy looking pots lying on them. A frozen clock hung on the wall, stuck at 10 past 10 for God knows how long. "Mel, give me a hand with this," Marlene said to me, as she pressed her hand against the door handle. The door was stuck, considering it hasn't been opened as often as it was since before the Cordyceps hit. We pushed the door open together, Marlene tumbling forward and landing on the floor.

"Whoa-whoa," I said to Marlene, grabbing onto her arms and helping her up. "Take it easy-"

A flash of red appeared, and when I say red, I mean _bright_ red – ginger hair that reminded me of my, now dead, best friend. "Get the fuck away from her!" A girl jumped me as soon as I stood up, her hand clutching a switchblade that looked familiar, aiming it at my face.

"Oi!" I yelled, grabbing the girl's wrist, still holding onto the switchblade that nearly stabbed my eye out. "Get this fucking thing out of my face, kid." I seethed, glaring at her, still struggling against my grip. I was met by bright green eyes, the very same green eyes that I saw before Anna.. "What the-" I sputtered, my mouth opening and closing as I stared at her, gaping like a fish. The girl's face was pale, freckles dotting her nose and cheeks. A small nose, small lips, a scar on her right eyebrow. She looked frighteningly like..

_No. It couldn't be._

"Let her go," Marlene said to me, her tone gentle. I wasn't sure what the pain in her voice was coming from – either her wounds or the fact that the girl standing in front of me was who I thought it was.

Dad looked over at me, confused by the look on my face, "You're recruiting kinda young, don't you think?" Dad asked, turning to Marlene.

"She's not one of mine," she answered efficiently.

I had trouble swallowing altogether, my throat closing up when I saw the girl standing in front of me, running towards Marlene and aiding her. "Marlene, what kind of fucking trick is this?" I hissed at her, clenching my jaw when I realized who the girl was.

"I've made up for my mistakes. I took her back."

"Yeah, when?" I scoffed, in awe and totally appalled by her answer. "Yesterday?"

"Three weeks ago."

"Well-!" I choked out, my throat dry. "How is that any different? We promised Anna that we'd take care of her, and now-"

"Save your whining for later, Melanie."

"Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for her?" I seethed, my hands shaking uncontrollably, my body trembling because of the anger boiling up inside me. "I spent years looking for Ellie, and she fucking vanished out of the foster system. I couldn't bare thought of her being-"

Tess grabbed ahold of my arm, shooting me a look.

_Don't lose it, Mel. Hang in there._

My temper was basically on a leash, thanks to Dad and Tess; I'd become better at controlling my emotions, but not by much. Enough to make sure I didn't throttle the person that annoyed me, enough to make sure I didn't murder everyone I made eye contact with.

I scoffed, shoving my hands in my pockets when Dad and Tess agreed on the deal being made with Marlene.

"Don't be long," Dad said to Tess, "Mel, you're comin' with me. And you," Dad told Ellie pointedly, "stay close."

* * *

_A/N: ELLIE'S HEREEE ;)_

_Like I said, monthly to bi-monthly updates, guys._

_Alrighty, see you around! :D_

_-LGGH AKA Atticus_


	6. Buried Memories

**_(MILD SPOILER WARNING FOR MARK OF ATHENA SORRY FAM)_**

* * *

Seeing Ellie again after what seemed like forever gave me unexpected chills. This whole business was very sudden and very unlike Marlene, so what exactly was the deal with her? Why was she so important that Marlene finally revealed that she'd been hiding her from me all along?

I swallowed hard, clenching my jaw as I kept walking, my footsteps - along with Dad's and Ellie's - echoing against the creaky wooden floor of the North Tunnel. The trip towards the North Tunnel was a little bitch, considering how many patrols drove past us as we were making our way here. Posters of Marlene and various other Fireflies were pasted on the sides of buildings, it certainly didn't help when we saw the number of bodies lining the street on the way here. Bits of broken glass were still scattered around, but my sneakers crunched against them, unfazed. Rays of sunlight poured in through the relatively dark surroundings, but we kept moving, me in the back, Ellie in the middle, Dad leading the way.

"So.. this tunnel. You use it to smuggle things?" Ellie asked, looking around with the kind of curiosity I used to harbor when I was her age.

Dad nodded, not looking back when he replied gruffly, "Yup."

"Like.. illegal things?"

"Sometimes," Dad admitted.

Ellie didn't waste her breath before asking, "Ever smuggle a kid before?" I snorted, the corner of my mouth twitching at that.

Talkative, much more talkative than Anna was.

"No, that's a first," Dad responded. "What's the deal with you and Marlene, anyways?"

I kept quiet, waiting for her to respond. I hadn't seen this kid in fourteen years and here she was, an almost living breathing reincarnation of my dead best friend. "I don't know," she says. "She's my friend, I guess."

"You friend, huh?" Dad scoffed, I could practically hear him smiling from here. "You're friends with the leader of the Fireflies. What're you, like, twelve?"

"She knew my mom, and she's been looking after me," Ellie answered, the tone in her voice oddly calm. I winced when she mentioned Anna, considering Marlene had kept Ellie hidden away after all this time. We were supposed to take care of her together, no matter how many excuses Marlene makes, I don't think I'll ever forgive her for making this one. "And I'm fourteen," she cut in, "not that that has anything to do with anything."

"Where are your parents?" Dad asked dumbly. I shot a glare at the back of his head, realizing he wasn't at all paying attention to what I'd told him about Anna all those years before.

"Dad-" I whispered, sighing in frustration.

"Where are anyone's parents?" Ellie replied bitterly. "They've been gone a long, long time."

Dad was being a sarcastic little shit, so his roll of smart remarks certainly wasn't ending. "So instead of staying in school, you ran off and joined the Fireflies, is that it?"

"Look," Ellie said to him exasperatedly, "I'm not supposed to tell you why you're smuggling me if that's what you're getting at. That goes for you, too," Ellie said to me pointedly.

"I didn't even say anything, kiddo," I replied with a snort, raising my hands in surrender.

Dad turned his head to look at Ellie briefly, "You wanna know the best thing about my job? I don't gotta know why. Be honest with you, I could give two shits about what you're up to."

"Well great," Ellie shot back.

"Good." I cleared my throat, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly because of this situation. I sighed, relieved when I saw the apartment door. Dad unlocked it, walking in. "This is it," Dad said unnecessarily. Ellie walked in, me following behind. Dad plopped himself on the couch in the middle of the room, sighing in relief as he lay down on it. I walked towards the kitchen counter, pouring myself a drink.

Ellie looked at him in confusion, "What're you doing?"

"Killing time," Dad said as if it was an obvious statement to make.

"Well.. what am I supposed to do?" Ellie asked dryly.

Dad didn't even bother looking at her, "I am sure you will figure that out."

Ellie looked around, making her way to the couch by the window. "Your watch is broken," Ellie said, to which Dad scoffed before falling asleep.

I twitched, my grip on the bottle tightening. Sarah and I got that watch for Dad's birthday. Twenty fucking years ago. It feels like forever since I've even thought about Texas. I'd been living in Boston for so long I nearly forgot what it was like. Not having to worry about anything, anyone. Well, Dad obviously, Sarah and Andy, too. We were still kids, having fun for a little while longer before deciding what to do with ourselves in the future.

I took a swig of the scotch, the burning sensation of alcohol at the back of my throat becoming all too familiar. I let out a little cough before sealing the bottle again. I let out the briefest of sighs before making my way to the couch, leaning against it as I slumped to the floor. Ellie sat on the individual couch in the corner, staring out the window, despite not having much to look at. The sky was dull and drab as always, and here she was, the daughter of my dead best friend, looking outside as if it were the Mona Lisa.

"Bored?" I asked her, pressing a hand to my eye tiredly. Ellie looked over at me, that same curious gleam in her eyes. "I, uh. I have a book here if you want?" I offered.

Ellie got up, sitting beside me on the floor as I unzipped my backpack. I pulled the book, passing it to her. "The Mark of Athena?" Ellie asked, flipping past the fading pages. "I love the smell of old books."

"Same," I replied, giving her the smallest of smiles.

"What's it about?" Ellie asked me, putting the book beside her.

I licked my lips, scoffing. "This is the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series, a continuation of the Percy Jackson series."

"You're not making it any clearer," she deadpanned.

I laughed quietly, not wanting to wake Dad. "Well, it's about a boy, whose name is Percy Jackson-"

"Obviously," Ellie cut in, grinning.

I brushed it off, continuing, "Who finds out he's the son of Poseidon."

Ellie cut me off again, "Who's Poseidon?"

I stopped, arching an eyebrow at her. "I'm starting to think you don't want me to tell you what it's about, kiddo."

Ellie smiled sheepishly at me, rubbing the back of her neck. "I don't know whether this is basic knowledge shit or not," she confessed.

I smirked, replying, "It used to be. I shouldn't be expecting you to know, so sorry kiddo. Poseidon's the sea god, according to Greek mythology. Percy eventually finds out his friends are Greek gods' kids too and they're called demigods. It's all modern day Greek mythology shenanigans, and I loved it. This was my favorite series as a kid, next to Harry Potter, of course."

"You said something about this book," Ellie held it, her fingers brushing along the cover art, "being the third in the series?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Two more were supposed to come out, one annually, but.." I trailed off, unsure of how to answer.

"Did the writer die?" Ellie whispered.

I put my hands together at the back of my neck, shrugging, "Who knows? The fourth book was supposed to come out a month after the Cordyceps hit, but.." I snorted, smiling bitterly, "Well, I'm guessing you already know what happened."

"The world went to shit?" Ellie prompted.

"The world went to shit."

There was a comfortable pause before Ellie asked, "What happens at the end of the book?"

I grinned, remembering what it was like to talk about books with friends. Ellie's the daughter of my dead best friend, I'm one of her two godmothers. "Well, we're left thinking two of the main characters have died." I laughed bitterly before continuing, "I waited for nearly a year, but then it became twenty-one years. Everyone who read this damn series will never know how the series fucking ended." I wanted to know what happened to Percy and Annabeth. Nico, Jason, and Piper. Frank and Hazel. Leo, too. I'd never be able to find out unless I found Uncle Rick, he's probably already dead at this point. "Enough about me," I broke in. "What's your life been like?"

"You, uh. You mentioned something about looking for me?" Ellie asked. "I didn't wanna interrupt when you were yelling at Marlene, but.." Ellie was hesitant, almost scared even, "..that was pretty intense."

I scoffed, getting up to grab another drink. I tossed my backpack aside, a couple of its contents spilling out. I breathed out a curse, brushing it off as I headed for the kitchen counter. I didn't even bother pouring the scotch into the glass, this time, sitting on the stool and drinking straight from the bottle. Tess wasn't the type to drink on the job, so as far as I knew, the rest of it was mine. It's not like there was much in the bottle anyway.

Ellie was hunched over, crouching down as she started picking up a few of the things that slipped out of my pack. "Leave the shit that fell out," I coughed. "It's fine, I'll get it." She ended up cleaning up everything, carrying a couple of the items as she walked over to me. I raised an eyebrow at her, glancing at what she was looking at. My face paled when I saw her looking at my little sketch book. "That's nothing," I stammered, "those aren't really meant for looking." Pencil drawings of anything and everything that came to mind whizzed by my line of vision.

Caught between one of the pages, a polaroid picture slipped out onto the floor. Ellie, still holding onto my things, knelt down, reaching for the polaroid picture.

Logan.

I pressed my lips together, taking it from her hastily. "You weren't meant to see that," I whispered, my throat suddenly dry.

"Who is he?" Her voice was quiet, understanding. "I didn't mean to. It just.. slipped out." Ellie put the remainder of my things on the counter, the items being my old picture album, sketchbook and my copy of the Mark of Athena.

I sighed, my thumb gliding along the white plastic border of the picture. This was taken the day of my first mission, long before the day Logan had kissed me. I bit the corner of my lip, not knowing where to start. "His name was Logan, he was my first.." I trailed off again, my mind wandering.

"He was your first..?" Ellie prompted.

I laughed weakly, swinging my legs back and forth under the counter. "Logan was my first everything, really. My first real love, my first boyfriend, my first fiancé, my first husband." I paused, not really knowing what to say. "Does it still count when said person walks out on you?"

"I wouldn't know," Ellie shrugged. "Did you.."

"Love him?" I said. Ellie nodded. I smiled meekly, remembering the small moments of bliss I felt when I had Logan by my side. Despite walking out on me, Logan did love me. He supported me when things went downhill, and there I was, treating him like a pile of shit and shutting him out. I'd ruined him and I brought on his leave on myself. "I did, some days I remember that I still do."

"How long's it been?"

I let out a scoff, swallowing hard and closing my eyes briefly. "Ten years starting tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," Ellie whispered. "I didn't mean to bring it up. I can see how much it's hurting you."

I took another swig of scotch, shutting my eyes tightly due to the alcohol being ingested in my system. "It's what-the-fuck-ever, you know?" I shrugged, "Pass me my sketchbook, kiddo."

"It's Ellie," she said, gently reminding me.

I waved her off, "I'm aware, Elizabeth."

Ellie raised an eyebrow, appalled. "Elizabeth?"

"I helped your mom name you, kiddo," I smiled, in the sickeningly sweet sense. It took me about half a second to realize that I was getting a tad too tipsy for my liking, but all these buried memories were starting to rise to the surface when I wanted to forget them. "Your dad didn't want you having a sissy name, you know."

"Yeah?" she replied, the slightest hint of intrigue and amusement lacing her voice as Ellie spoke to me. I think she's witnessed her fair share of aggressive drunkenness, never foolish tipsy shits like me.

I wagged a finger at her, giving her a toothy grin, "Hell yeah, kiddo. His name was Mark, and holy fuck, was he an ass." Ellie leaned forward, almost soaking up my words like a sponge. "He was one hell of a goddamn bully, but he came through in the end. Anna put up with all of his shit, good and bad. Despite his asshat behavior, your mom really did love him, saw good in him sooner than the rest of us could."

"How did you get to know him?" Ellie asked. "Actually, how'd you get to know them both?"

Despite my tipsiness, I was still drinking. I remembered why Dad and Tess kept the scotch away from me, they knew how little self-control I had. "Your dad was one of the first few Fireflies that I met when I joined them with my Uncle Tommy. Even then, Mark acted like he had a stick shoved up his ass."

Ellie chuckled, grinning at me. "Was he really that bad?"

"Man, he was the worst," I breathed out. "Fuck, sorry."

"Why? What's wrong?"

I blinked and a moment of realization dawned on me. "We shouldn't talk bad of the dead."

Ellie paled, clearing her throat. "I figured as much, but.. Keep going. I wanna know more about my parents."

"I'm afraid I'll start shit talking Mark again," I admitted, reaching for the bottle. Ellie took it instead, closing the bottle and putting it at the far end of the counter so that I couldn't reach it. "Aww, you're no fun," I pouted.

"Just talk about Mom then," Ellie said, still smiling, despite the fact that I'd just insulted her dead father.

"She was the head nurse of the Fireflies," I began, the memories flooding in. "We mostly did supply runs, so I'd see her here and there. Anna helped me get the kinks together when I first joined, so I owed her a lot."

Images of my 17-year old self carrying boxes of medicine to Anna came back, occasionally striking a conversation in between shifts. Haley was off hitting on Tony in the back, Logan was on his way here with a few more boxes.

I took a deep breath, "When Logan and I left the Fireflies, Anna and Mark joined us. Obviously, Marlene wasn't too happy about that. Fast forward a few years, Anna was pregnant with you, kiddo. Oddly enough, it took me getting a little tipsy for me to notice the bump that was you."

A small smile was creeping onto Ellie's face. She was finally getting answers to unanswered questions. "Sorry for throwing all this at you, I just.. I've wanted to know a lot for a while, about Mom. Dad, too so.. thank you."

I grinned toothily at her, muttering, "I feel sleepy," before clocking out on the kitchen counter.

Fantastic first impression on your godchild, Miller.

* * *

**_A/N: An update? What? Trust me, I'm just as shocked as all of y'all. I was feeling very inspired, so voila. Bask in this update because it'll be a while until the next one. Soz famamalam okay ily all bye_**


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